Here at 2BG, we try to be aware of the myriad of opinions and perspectives that shape the collective experience we can't stop talking about. Black Southern women are by no means a monolith, and our experiences run the gamut of sexuality, income, religion, liberalism, and a million other categories. Despite these varieties, we often try to plot a cultural line of best fit around what we think is our shared experience, because we ourselves find such efforts to be great for strengthening community, learning our history, and also shifting the views we may hold about our homes and selves.

However, with this seemingly noble but also heavily ambitious goal, there is the risk of making characteristic assumptions about this experience, and not recognizing the vitality and variety of black women in our region. We want to always make room for black girls in Atlanta or Charlotte or Austin who may not have grown up in stereotypically Southern households and small towns, or black grits whose faith leads them to more conservative ideology than the ours has. One way to do this is to realize that black grits can fall on every side of nearly every topic of discussion (except maybe those god-awful "Southern Fried Cotton" shirts. Really, white people?!? Cotton?!?)

We're committed to trying to hear as many perspectives and experiences as possible, especially those of black grits who may be on the margins of the broad discussion about our shared identity (if there even is a broad discussion.) One topic we knew we needed several different voices on was our hair. This month, we've decided to put together a photo profile of several of our favorite South Carolinian black grits, who all happen to have amazingly unique personal styles and relations to their hair. We're jealous of all of their hair, and really want their tips, so we've asked them all to share their regimens with us in a separate page. Enjoy!

Kaelin Britt of Orangeburg, SC

What does your hair mean to you?

This is the amazing concept of hair. Women for years have used their hair as a way to identify or blend in with the society they live in. The most important aspect of my hair that I love is that I use it to identify with myself. It means that I choose to be true to me.

What makes you happiest about your hair?

The texture of my hair makes me happy! It is very thick but when it is wet, I can manage and manipulate it in ways that I cannot do when it's dry. When I do blowouts, my hair still maintains its strong, thick volume while also being able to be fluffy!

What frustrates you the most about your hair?

THE SHRINKAGE!!! As I stated previously, my hair is so easy to manage when it is wet but do not let that water stay for too long otherwise I go from an exotic Erykah Badu afro to a T.W.A. in minutes!

My hair is one of many parts of my temple that I must maintain through self-care. My hair is a plant, one that I must care for with love, patience, and dedication. My hair is my mane, the crown to my lioness. My hair is what keeps me up late at night and wakes me up early in the morning. My hair is that which both hides and reveals my imperfections.

What makes you happiest about your hair?

My hair's individuality is what makes me the happiest about it. Though it sometimes has a mind of its own, I love how personalized my hair makes me feel. It has always been a character flaw of mine to compare myself to other people and create a standard of beauty for myself, one that I felt I never achieved. My natural hair journey has been teaching me to not only love myself and all of my assets, but to recognize that I can only aspire to achieve that which applies to my own personalized aesthetic template and that in itself is beautiful to me. My hair has taught me that it is not only my duty to love and appreciate my individuality, but to cater to it as well.

What frustrates you the most about your hair?

My different textures is by far the most frustrating thing about my hair. While I love my curls, I find it extremely difficult to achieve the perfect wash and go like many of my natural peers (and Youtube inspirations).Though I've been natural for nearly four years, I'm still discovering my regimen. As a natural I've found myself glamorizing the regimens of other naturals and spending my budget on a wide variety of hair care products. Within the past year though I've learned that with my textures, the simpler the better.

Matisyn Darby from Las Vegas, NV, now of Greer, SCCurrently Attends: South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities in Greenville, SC

What does your hair mean to you?

Hair is a form of expression and is definitely ever-changing. It is a pretty huge part of my life and I try to be presentable enough to where I look like I was raised right.

What makes you happiest about your hair?

My steady curl pattern and thickness is what I strive for when I actually take care of it.

What frustrates you the most about your hair?

The constant need for attention and patience.

Jasmine Holland from Pendleton, SC

Currently Attends: South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities in Greenville, SC

What does your hair mean to you?

Hair is a form of expression. It is one of the few things on your body that you can change and have complete control over. You can cut it, color it, shave it, do anything and if you end up not liking it, it will always grow back or you can dye it back to its original state. Hair is great, I think it adds a lot of character.

What makes you happiest about your hair?

I love the silky texture of my hair and its resilience. I experimented with different relaxers in middle school that ended up breaking my hair, but it took no time for my hair to regain its strength and grow back thick and healthy, and I think that's a really great hair quality to have.

What frustrates you the most about your hair?

My hair draws up so quickly! I learned early on that relaxers and chemicals were damaging to my hair so I have been natural and just getting blow outs and the occasional weave for about five years now. But having natural hair means that I have no chemicals to prevent my hair from reverting from straight and smooth and to crunchy and crinkly in extreme heat and humid conditions.

Dia Sanders of Florence, South CarolinaCurrently in Columbia, South Carolina

What does your hair mean to you? When I wore my hair in a relaxed state it really just meant getting it done every two weeks and a relaxer every 5-6 weeks. I wore a wrap from ages 11-25 and I think my first relaxer was somewhere around age 5 or 6. Being natural has changed the way I view my hair. I feel I have more flexibility and less concern about getting it wet or that every hair is in the right place. It means quite a bit to me because it changed my outlook on the emphasis we place on hair.

What makes you happiest about your hair?

I love the versatility! I can do just about anything with my hair and because it's strong...it holds up. What makes me the happiest is how my hair has changed my personal style. On any given day I can feel cute and flirty with my two flat twist or like the ultimate naturalista when I wear a twist out or a high puff. My hair is definitely apart of my outfit.

What frustrates you the most about your hair?

Being natural is work! I admit that I sometimes miss the ease of wrapping my hair and going to bed but it's not that easy sometimes when you are natural. I can't tell you how many times I've worked on a twist out just to wear it a day or so! I think we put a lot of pressure on ourselves when it comes to wash day and products. I'm the first to admit that I am the laziest of the naturalistas! I do not take all day to wash my hair but I try to show it some love and be consistent with my products.

Jackson Trice of Hackensack New Jersey, now Greenville, South CarolinaCurrently Attends: Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts

What does your hair mean to you?

Right before exams, my hair started falling out. Long, seemingly healthy strands fell out in large, scary clumps. My hairline changed, as did the texture. It’s a side effect of this medicine that I take to be a person. I don’t see my hair as a status symbol, or a source of pride, or a gift. I know that it’s just hair. But it’s amazing how fast you’ll choose it over something like stability. Right now, it means a little more than my sanity, but not as much as say, my hands.

What makes you happiest about your hair?

I can finally leave it alone. I just walk out the shower and do nothing to it. Somehow, it’s never looked better.

What frustrates you the most about your hair? At least twice a year, someone calls me Corbin Bleu.